NHL Trade Rumor: Jets Linked to Top-Four Islanders Center to Boost Cup Hopes, per NHL Analyst

NHL analyst Rob Couch of 'NHL Trade Rumors' revealed that Islanders top-four center Jean-Gabriel Pageau could be of heavy interest to the Winnipeg Jets via trade.

The New York Islanders may want to capitalize on Jean-Gabriel Pageau's strong 2024-25 season by trading him while his value is high , but they could also hang onto him and hope to climb back into the playoff picture.

He has one year left on his $5 million AAV contract, and the 32-year-old is an extremely useful third-line center with very good two-way abilities, who provides a lot of depth to his squad.

Whether there's a good enough offer to move him this offseason or during next season prior to the deadline remains to be seen, but there will definitely be teams looking for a player who can produce and defend well.

The Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents' Trophy last season and are looking to not only do that again but have a deeper playoff run, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau would certainly help them down the middle , according to NHL analyst Rob Couch of 'NHL Trade Rumors.' - Rob Couch The Jets' center position is notably weaker than the rest of their lineup.

Cole Perfetti is much more likely to be used on the wing, which leaves the second and third line center roles open between Jonathan Toews and Vlad Namestnikov.

If Pageau was in the mix, Namestnikov could be moved to the wing, so Pageau would also give the Jets better depth this coming year.

The Jets Could Be Competing With Three Other Teams for Pageau Should things not work out with the Jets, Rob Couch mentions three other possible teams: the Hurricanes, Bruins, and Wild.

The Carolina Hurricanes have plenty of cap space to add another body and have room left over in their salary cap.

While the Boston Bruins could go the direction of retooling/rebuilding over the next year or two, they could also look to start addressing their needs right now, and Pageau would certainly help with that.

The Minnesota Wild have some better forward prospects on the way, but most of them aren't just yet ready for a full-time NHL role, which would make a one-year rental like Pageau the perfect addition to complete their lineup for this coming season.

Not only that, but the Wild would also have leftover cap room to spare.

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